Symbiosis launches virtual classroom for distance learners
News — By The Desk on August 23, 2010 at 12:59 PMTimes of India: The Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL) on Friday announced the launching of Virtual classroom and online faculty chat’ initiatives which are aimed at enabling its distance learners seek online interaction and guidance from the faculty.
The SCDL has a vast segment of students enrolled for the 136 courses it offers in various streams. The students are not only from India, but 40-odd countries.
Speaking to reporters, SCDL chief Swati Mujumdar said, “The initiatives are an attempt towards bridging the distance’ between the teachers and the taught. All that a student requires is a computer and an internet connection to participate in the virtual classroom and online chat sessions without any extra cost.”
The students are required to access the website www.scdl.net and go to the student centre section. “By entering their user name and password, the students can access details like the month-long calendar ahead for virtual classroom sessions where they can see a faculty, hear the lecture and ask questions simply by raising their hand and even replay a lecture,” Mujumdar said.
Similar schedule will be displayed for the online chat sessions, she said. The online chat allows the students to be in constant contact with the faculty and get their queries resolved on the spot while chatting on the internet. “Students can see and refer to all the questions and answers asked in a particular session, which adds as a supplementary aid to their learning and understanding of a particular topic,” Mujumdar said.
